Additional agent for motor fuels



Patented Dec.. 1%, i933 7 1,940,096 ADDITIONAL AGENT non Moron FUELS Martin Mueller-Cunradi, Ludwigshafen-on-the- Rhine, and Wilhelm Wilke, Mannheim, Germany, assignors to I. G. Farbenindustrie Alrtiengesellschaft, Frankfort-on-the-Main, Germany No Drawing. Application March 4, 1930, Serial No. 433,172, and in Germany March 20, 1929 8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the manufacture and production of additional agents for motor fuels.

As is known, the development in the construction of internal combustion engines for motors, which has led to greater emciency and economy by higher compression of the gas in the cylinder, has led to the consequence that there are rquirements in motor fuels which hitherto 10 not foreseen, namely that the fuel should burn without detonation even under high pressure, a phenomenon which is usually spoken of as freedom from knocking. Since mineral oils contain almost exclusively benzines which for a great number of the present day motors are no longer suficiently free from knocking it has been necessary to manufacture and introduce into the trade a fuel free from knocking in addition to the usual benzine. Such fuels may, for example, be obtained by the addition of anti-knocking agents, such as iron carbonyl or lead tetraethyl with the gasoline, or also by mixing the gasoline with benzol or to some extent alcohol. A certain quality must be fixed according to the peculiar local nature of the sale of the gasoline to the consumer, for example at tank stations.

This has led to the objection that for many internal combustion engines for motors this quality is insumciently good. Since the nonknocking fuels are more expensive, however, the

desired improvement in the economy is not attainable in many cases.

In order to obtain the degree of freedom from knocking which was requisite for individual cases it was necessary to discover a method of bringing an additional anti-knock substance into a form, which renders it possible for the individual consumer to mix it with the benzine in an amount corresponding to the requirements. The said additions must beeffective when added in very small amounts, of say only a few per cent, for example up to about 5 per cent, but even fractions of l per cent should be sufliciently effective. Benzine and spirit are thus excluded 46 on account of the impossibility of carrying along sufiicient quantities thereof. Likewise lead tetraethyi is unsuitable on account of its poisonous nature. Moreover, iron carbonyl is not suitable because under certain conditions it tends to so ignite spontaneously even at low temperatures.

We have now found that an additional substance which is thoroughly safe to handle and which can be stored is obtained by mixing iron carbonyl, which is usually employed in the form of pentacarbonyl with appreciable amounts of simple amines or derivatives thereof which are alkylated or arylated on their nitrogen atoms and which usually contain at least three carbon atoms in their molecule and are devoid of dyeing properties. As examples may be mentioned aniline, toluidine, xylidine, methylaniline, ethyl toluidine, methyl toluidine, diphenylamine and the like. Similarly primary and secondary aliphatic amines which contain up to 3 carbon atoms in straight chains may be employed with particular advantage. The amines which are added must ordinarily be soluble in the fuel, or must be capable of being solubilized by an assistant, such as an alcohol. The said additional substances are effective, even when very small amounts thereof are added to the motor fuel to be improved. It is a surprising fact that these mixtures, when the benzines with which they are mixed are used only in moderately highly compressed engines, give an anti-knocking value which is considerably higher than would be expected from experience of high compression internal combustion engines. The extent to which the anti-knocking action is greater than would be expected depends on the ratio of amounts of iron carbonyl and amino compound and also on the nature of the latter; the increase in antiknocking value may amount to 30 per cent and more.

Several amino compounds may be employed simultaneously and for dilution other organic compounds, as for example hydro-carbons, such as gasolines or benzene or toluene or xylene alcohols, such as methanol or ethyl alcohol and the like may be added in order to render the product capable of being easily dosed.' In some cases the last mentioned compounds serve to facilitate the solution of the iron carbonyl and the amines. The dilution should not be too great, however, so that the additional substance for a considerable quantity of fuel may be .conveniently transported. Other anti-knocking agents already known may be incorporated in so far as their direct employment is unobjectionable. Similarly lubricating oils which produce an internal lubrication of the engine and coloring materials soluble in the fuel, which facilitate the control of thorough mixing after Example 1 24 parts of iron pentacarbonyl and of monocthylanilinc.

Example 2 Epual parts or iron pentacarbonyl and tlimethylaniline.

Example 3 10 parts ofiron pentacarbonyl ami ao parts of xylidine. Example 5 Equal parts of iron pentacarbonyl and monomethyl-o-toluidine.

, Example 5 45 per cent of aniline, 45 per cent of toluene and 10 per cent of iron pentacarbonyl.

Example 6 '40 per cent of monomethylaniline, 40 per cent of xylene and 20 per cent of iron carbonyl.

Example 7 60 per cent or diethylamlne or isobutylamine and 40 per cent of 'iron pentacarbonyl.

Example 8 40 per cent of monomethylaniline, 40 percent of diethy-lamine and 20 per cent of iron pentacarbonyl.

Example 9 96' parts of aniline and 4sparts of iron carbonyl.

Example 10 parts of monomethyl aniline and 15 parts of iron carbonyl.

' Example 11 50 parts of monomethyl-o-toluidlne, 25 parts of mom methyl aniline and 25 parts of iron I carbonyl.

Example 12 35 parts of isobutylamine, 35 parts of dimethylaniline and 30 parts of iron carbonyl;

Example 13 40 parts a: monoethyl aniline, 20 parts of iron carbonyl and 40 parts of ethyl alcohol.

parts aerator Example 14 40 parts of tlimethyl aniline, 40 parts of iron carbonylantl 20 parts of methyl alcohol.

Example 15 Example 16 35 parts of monomethyl-o-toluidine, 35 parts or iron carbonyl and 30 parts of methyl alcohol.

Example 17 30 parts of monomethyl aniline, 30 parts of iron carbonyl and 40 parts of butyl alcohol.

' Example 18 40 parts of diethyl amine, 10 parts of iron carbonyl and 50 parts of isobutyl alcohol.

Example 1 9 40 parts of isobutyl amine, 20 parts of iron carbonyl and' 40 parts of methyl or ethyl alcohol.

A great variety of other mixtures and other proportions in the mixtures may be prepared.

What we claim is:

1. A stable iron carbonyl composition consisting of iron carbonyl and a benzine soluble simple amine having not more than 12 carbon atoms in its molecule.

2. A composition as in claim 1 wherein the iron carbonyl comprises at least 4% of the composition.

. 3. A stable iron carbonyl composition consisting of iron carbonyl and a benzine soluble simple aromatic amine having from 6 to 12 carbon atoms in its molecule.

4. A composition as in claim 3 wherein the iron carbonyl comprises at least 4% of'the composition.

5. A stable iron carbonyl composition consisting of iron carbonyl and an aromatic amine selected from the class consisting of aniline, toluidine xylidine and their N-substituted ethyl and methyl derivatives.

6. A stable iron carbonyl composition consisting of iron carbonyl and aniline.

7. A stable iron carbonyl composition consist-' ing of iron carbonyl and monomethyl aniline.

8. A stable iron carbonyl composition consist; ing of iron carbonyl and dimethylaniline. 

